Superman Vol 1 2
Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * Jock Kane * Slugger Barnes * Tom Croy Other Characters: * Larry Trent * Charlie Bennett Locations: * ** | Writer2_1 = Jerry Siegel | Penciler2_1 = Joe Shuster | Inker2_1 = Paul Cassidy | StoryTitle2 = Superman Champions Universal Peace! | Synopsis2 = Clark Kent is sent to interview professor Runyan about a new type of gas he's discovered, one so deadly it can seep right through a gas mask. Runyan gives Clark a demonstration of the effects by exposing a monkey wearing a gas mask to the deadly toxin. The gas immediately kills the test subject, impressing Clark. During the interview, some thugs suddenly burst into the lab. Clark is pushed out of the room, but his super-hearing picks up what was being said. The roughnecks' leader, Bartow, demands Runyan to hand over his formula for the gas, but the professor refuses. He won't let them sell it to foreign powers. Bartow gives him twenty-four hours to reconsider, "or else". When they leave, Kent hails a taxi and follows their car out of the city to a small farm home sitting next to an airfield. He takes note of this location for later. Back at the Daily Star, Clark types up his interview with Runyan quickly, so he can get back to Bartow and his men. George, the editor, informs him about a call he just received... Professor Runyan was found dead in his home. Later in his apartment, Clark changes to Superman and returns to the farm home just in time to catch Bartow and his partners leaving on a plane. The plane was flying high over the country of Boravia, a land currently troubled by civil war. Superman tears a hole in the plane's roof and drops in. Bartow grabs a parachute and jumps out, hoping to get away. Superman drops out of the plane and grabs hold of Bartow in mid-air, threatening to cut the chute to pieces if he doesn't give him the formula. After leaning on him a little more, Superman finally gets the name of the buyer: Lubane. A party of Boravian soldiers find Superman and take him into custody, only to discover their bullets and bayonets are useless against his hard-as-granite skin. Growing bored of the soldiers attempts to kill him, Superman takes off. Before searching for Bartow and Lubane, he takes the time to destroy the weapons and munitions being used in the war. The warring armies are helpless to stop him! Lubane's hideout isn't too hard to find. Superman catches sight of Bartow's car and follows him. He crashes through the roof, demanding Lubane give up the formula. But Lubane's scientist has already concocted a batch of the sinister gas. He holds up the vial for Superman to see, threatening to drop it and kill them both if he doesn't go away. Superman steps forward, and Lubane, startled, accidently lets the vial drop! The gas seeps up and into Lubane's lungs. In his dying breath, he wonders why Superman wouldn't die. The Man of Steel replies that his super physique means the gas had no effect on him. The formula was in hand, but Superman wasn't done yet! He rushed to Bovaria's government building, where negotiations between representatives of the two warring factions were currently under way. However, neither side would agree to budge on their outrageous demands for peace, and so the meeting was to be adjourned. Superman burst in then, shouting that the talks must continue! The representatives argue that it was impossible. So Superman begins smashing the pillars around the room. The building starts to tremble as each pillar turns to rubble. He grabs hold of the remaining support pillar, threatening to collapse the structure on top of them unless they reconsider their terms. Admitting to each other that their demands were far-fetched, the two representatives finally each sign the peace treaty. Returning home to Metropolis, Clark Kent is given a warm reception by his Daily Star coworkers for such an outstanding story. Bartow and his gang are arrested, and Clark secretly tears the formula to shreds, believing the gas is just too deadly to exist. | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * * Antagonists: * Bartow, international racketeer ** two hench * Lubane, munitions magnate Other Characters: * Adolphus Runyan * Locations: * ** * Items: * Runyan's Poison Gas Formula Vehicles: * Bartow's Plane | Writer3_1 = Jerry Siegel | Penciler3_1 = Joe Shuster | Inker3_1 = Paul Cassidy | StoryTitle3 = Superman and the Skyscrapers | Synopsis3 = After several deaths have taken place during the construction of the Atlas building, Superman takes it upon himself to do a little investigating. He discovers that the steel girders were being sabotaged on the orders of a crook named Butch Grogan, and decides to pay him a visit. Butch won't talk at first, but Superman demonstrates his strength by crushing Butch's gun in his hand, and his lips loosen up. He was being offered a large sum to see that the Atlas is never completed. The man who hired him? None other than Nat Grayson, CEO of rival company "Akme Construction". He wants Bruce Construction Inc., funder of the Atlas building project, to go out of business, eliminating the competition. Superman leaves Butch on the street as cops approach. When he tries to run, despite their warnings, Grogan is shot dead. Nat Grayson has prepared for Superman's arrival by rigging his home with explosives triggered by movement. To Grayson's surprise, Superman makes it past the detonations. He rips the door to the office off its hinges and confronts Grayson directly. Not much force is needed on Superman's part, Nat Grayson turns out to be a cowardly man. He agrees to call the police and turn himself in, bringing justice to the men who lost their lives. Back at the Daily Star, Superman, in his civilian identity of Clark Kent, meets with his editor over his latest report. He's asked how he managed to get the story of Grayson's arrest before any other paper. Just luck, Clark replies. | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * Butch Grogan * Nat Grayson Other Characters: * Pete Asconio Locations: * ** ** Atlas Building Construction Site ** Akme Construction HQ ** Grayson's Boobytrapped Mansion | Notes = * This issue is reprinted in Superman Archives, Volume 1 and Superman Chronicles, Volume 2. * "The Redemption of Larry Trent" was originally published in the Superman daily newspaper serial (February 20th - March 18th). The title for this story is provided in Superman Archives, Volume 1. ** In "The Redemption of Larry Trent," Superman causes Tom Croy's handgun to explode in his hand. It's hard to understand how Croy wasn't killed by this. * "Superman Champions Universal Peace!" was originally published in the Superman daily newspaper serial (late May - early June). ** Superman may have destroyed one copy of the formula for the deadly gas, but at least one batch of it had already been produced. Lubane's chemists and production workers, in Boravia, knew how to make more of it. ** The Axis Powers of Earth-2 included: Axis Powers included: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Dukalia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Napkan, Nastonia, Nural, Oxnalia, Romania, Syronia, Toran, Twerpany, and others. ** In Earth-Two's version WWII, the neutral and overrun nations included: Bahdnisia, [[Superman_Vol_1_2#Synopsis_for_.22Superman_Champions_Universal_Peace.21.22|'Boravia']], Galonia, Kurtavia, Luthoria, Nestralia, Numark, San Monte, and others. ** After December 1941, many of these countries drop from the scene. * "Superman and the Skyscrapers" was originally published in the Superman daily newspaper serial (#67 - 90). * Chronology: ** Superman appeared last in ''Action Comics'' #16. He appears next in ''Action Comics'' #17. ** George Taylor is identified by name for the first time in this issue. Taylor appeared last in ''Action Comics'' #16. He appears next in ''Action Comics'' #17. ** Jimmy Olsen appeared last in ''Action Comics'' #10. He appears next in ''Superman'' #3. This is his first appearance in the series. ** Lois Lane appeared last in ''Action Comics'' #15. She appears next in ''Action Comics'' #18. * Also appearing in this issue of Superman was a text story, by Jerry Siegel, illustrated by Joe Shuster, featuring Superman. This story includes Superman's first use of his , pre-dating its first use in a graphic story (in Action Comics #20) by four months. | Trivia = * Issue includes a Superman pin-up page illustrated by Joe Shuster. | Recommended = | Links = }}